


Pretty

by Spaceship0Mile



Series: The Mechanics to Your Heart [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Jealousy, Light Angst, M/M, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-07-06 01:14:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15875469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spaceship0Mile/pseuds/Spaceship0Mile
Summary: Jeno, Renjun, Jaemin, and Haechan came up with a plan to help Haechan make Mark jealous. What Jaemin didn't expect was that he would be the one to end up hurt by it.(You can read this without having read part1)





	Pretty

**Author's Note:**

> Okaaay so I said I was thinking about writing one-shots for the other ships in the story and this is the first.
> 
> Enjoy!

         “You’re pretty.” Jeno’s voice sounded high-pitched in the dream and when he looked at Jaemin, no more than 7 years old, he knew why. This was a memory coming to him in his sleep.

         “But I’m a boy.” Jaemin’s small face scrunched in confusion.

         “I know.” Jeno smiled at the other boy, who just looked back at him, still confused.

         “Girls are pretty, not boys.” Young Jaemin informed, he seemed upset, but Jeno had meant to compliment him.

“Boys can be pretty too.” Jeno insisted, as the evidence was right in front of him.

         Jaemin looked dubious and after a long thoughtful pause he said, “Wanna play?” Jeno nodded and ran after the other boy.

\----------------

         Jeno woke with a start. The memory of his first conversation with Jaemin nagged at him as he rubbed his eyes open. Why did his subconscious decide to resurface that memory now? It wasn’t something he wanted to remember. It was also something he hoped Jaemin had long forgotten. He threw his head back then to each side trying to work out the kinks there. His shoulders ached as well. He heard the front door slam shut, the sound shaking the walls of their tiny house. This was his mother, which meant his father was still around. The first thing he did when he got up was to make sure his bedroom door was locked. Then he went about his morning routine. He heard his father’s heavy footsteps close by, he wouldn’t be stopping by Jeno’s room; he never did when he thought Jeno was home. Jeno opened his window, threw his back bag onto the ground and climbed out after it as silently as he could. He found his bike where he’d left it the night before.

         He was ready for school.

<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>> 

         Jaemin was almost done with his third year of high school. All that stood between him and attending the college he had in mind was senior year. He ran through the list of things he had to do in his head: get through finals, get Jeno through finals with Renjun’s help, have the best summer break they could have, get through senior year, and graduate high school together. Then they would all go to college. Together, the three of them would be able to afford the apartment he’d found near campus grounds.

Renjun was suspiciously quiet this morning. Jaemin kept sneaking glances at him from the corners of his eyes while they waited for Jeno at the steps of the school’s entrance. He could feel the heat rising in waves off the tar. He moved his feet smoothly against it, his body still revising the same choreography that they’d performed at the dance competition last week. Students passing by shot him judgmental looks, which he ignored as he twirled around a bored looking Renjun so many times he got dizzy and was forced to grab Renjun’s shoulders for balance.

         “He’s coming,” Jaemin panted, misreading the reason behind Renjun’s silence. “He promised he wouldn’t miss any more school days until graduation.”

         “I know he is and I know what he promised, I was there.” Renjun said quietly.

         “Then what’s the matter?” Jaemin asked, jumping back into the choreo as soon as his head cleared.

         Renjun’s brows furrowed and he pursed his lips. He thought for what seemed like forever before saying, “I know you’ve been avoiding him.” Jaemin felt like a bucket of ice cold water had been emptied on his head. He stopped dancing.

         “Avoiding who?” He tried to sound unaffected by Renjun’s correct accusation.

         Renjun faced him, “Jeno.”

         “What do you mean,” Jaemin said. He decided to continue dancing in hope that it would distract Renjun. “Here we are waiting for him.”

         “So if I leave now, you’d stay here and wait for him?” Renjun’s eyes were fierce as he stared at Jaemin challengingly. Jaemin didn’t answer, he wished he could turn back time and stop himself from asking Renjun why he was so quiet so that he wouldn’t be in the position he was in now. But if Jaemin could turn back time, he probably would use the ability to go back to that cursed day when they’d all conspired against Mark in Renjun’s bedroom. That was the day he truly screwed himself over in order to help Haechan make Mark jealous. Jaemin was looking at Renjun like he thought he was crazy for thinking Jaemin was avoiding spending time with Jeno alone. He knew his dancing wasn’t doing much to divert Renjun’s attention, but he didn’t know what else to do. His arms flew up in a dramatic circle around himself as he started tap dancing. Renjun squared his arms and squinted at Jaemin, his lips pursed in anger. Jaemin panicked, so he started river dancing.

         That was when Jeno arrived, thankfully, which meant Jaemin could stop his Irish style dance performance in front of an unimpressed Renjun and a judgmental student body. They jogged over to him while he chained his bike. Renjun was the first to speak, “Did you get a decent grade on your term paper?” He asked Jeno.

         “Good morning to you, too.” Jeno said. He wasn’t smiling, which wasn’t like him, but even Lee Jeno had bad days. “Why are you asking me about that? Please don’t tell me you guys are getting hyped about college again? And why are you out of breath?” The last part was directed towards Jaemin who was only half listening to the conversation. He was too busy staring at Jeno’s lips to concentrate. The slightly upward tilt to their edges made it look like Jeno was smiling a little even though his eyebrows were furrowed. In fact, Jeno’s moodiness this morning made his lips all the more distracting as they protruded slightly while he scowled. Staring at Jeno’s lips was something Jaemin was used to doing and Jeno either never noticed it or simply never questioned it, but lately, every time Jaemin looked at Jeno’s lips, he couldn’t help but see Haechan’s, too. He realized that Jeno was still waiting for a reply and he just shrugged.

So maybe Jeno hadn’t really agreed to the whole going to college and living in an apartment near campus together plan that Jaemin had come up with. In fact, Jeno was planning on dropping out of high school and there were only two reasons he kept attending classes and taking exams: Jaemin and Renjun. But Jaemin’s vision of their future was still going to come to life, Jaemin was going to make sure of it.

         “But Jaemin helped you write it, right?” Renjun asked.

         Jeno didn’t answer, turning away from Renjun as he pretended to inspect a scratch on his beat up bike. Jaemin knew it was because Renjun was already aware that the answer was yes, Jaemin had helped Jeno write it (Jaemin had actually written it for him) months ago.

         “Please tell me you got a good grade.” Jaemin said, finally joining the conversation.

         “I did. I don’t know how,” This was said with a pointed look at Jaemin. “But I did. I’m still not going to college, though.” Jeno said with finality and Jaemin gave a loud whoop as he threw his fist up into the air and jumped after it in celebration. Renjun gave him a look and he forced his expression into neutrality, an agreement between the two to drop the subject, at least until Jeno’s bad mood passed.

         “Who’s ready for history class?” Jaemin asked brightly, and Renjun grunted while Jeno’s face softened, just a little at the change of subject.

         “History class? Oh good, I love learning about projectiles!” Jeno said, his eyes twinkling. They each expressed their rage at his overused joke in their own way. Jaemin, by rolling his eyes. Renjun, by putting Jeno in a chokehold and saying, “If you don’t stop making that joke, you’ll find a projectile traveling towards you at the speed of light.” Jeno broke free of Renjun’s vice-like grip and ran up the stairs, arms flailing, with Renjun at his heel. Jaemin jogged after them barely able to contain his laughter despite the dirty looks the three of them were getting. It didn’t matter if other’s judged them; all that mattered to Jaemin was that the tension between them was forgotten for the time being.

 

         Jaemin’s head gave a painful throb. A headache started to form behind his eyes in the middle of fifth period, which he shared with Jeno, who was at his usual seat behind him. He was staring at the board forcing his mind to focus while it fought valiantly against him. It kept wandering to the plot of a movie he’d watched last night when he should have been sleeping. It was a bad movie with a simple plot and bad actors, but Jaemin couldn’t tear his gaze away. He knew it was because he saw himself in the protagonist who made a single decision that caused him intense pain. Although the movie was crappy and the acting was exaggerated, Jaemin still sympathized with the suffering lead. He watched it until the end, hoping for some guidance. The movie did not end well.

         “This is why we must ask ourselves: is knowing an author’s personal experiences vital to gaining a comprehensive grasp of his or her works?” Ms. Boo droned. Jaemin wanted to ask himself that, he really did, but he found himself thinking of a comic book he’d purchased years ago but never read instead. He was doodling on his notebook when he felt his chair get kicked from behind. It was Jeno. He turned around angrily and almost flipped Jeno off as discreetly as he could, but when he saw the warning in Jeno’s eyes, he knew that he was in trouble. He turned back to find the teacher looking at him expectantly, her mouth twitching in held back anger as she feigned patience.

         “Uh,” Jaemin said. “We should definitely ask ourselves these questions, yes. To… have an understanding of things…” Jeno kicked him again, his chair screeched loudly and he was propelled a little forward from the impact, his elbows coming up on the desk to steady himself. He tried to play it cool by smiling and squaring his arms over the desk then putting his chin in his right palm.

         “Am I boring you? Is that why you weren’t paying attention?” Ms. Boo asked Jaemin who opened his mouth and closed it stupidly.

         “I think the author’s personal experiences need to be disregarded entirely when analyzing a text.” Jeno said suddenly, his voice ringing loudly in the tense air of the classroom. Jaemin’s head whipped back to stare at him, mouth gaping. The other students held their breaths. This was probably the first time any of them had seen Jeno participate in class.

         “And why is that?” Ms. Boo, thankfully, seemed to find Jeno speaking up for the first time in class more entertaining than terrorizing Jaemin.

         “Because that way,” Jeno answered calmly, ignoring Jaemin’s and the rest of the classroom’s shocked eyes and open mouths. “We could allow the literature to speak for itself-- to all kinds of people with various experiences and from different backgrounds rather than limiting its meaning to the author’s own specific history.”

         “That is a valid take on the issue.” She said approvingly and went back to her monotonous rambling. The students seemed to release their held breaths collectively as the class continued. Jaemin stared at the splintered edge of his desk while he waited for the warmth to leave his cheeks. He probably would have been sent to the principal’s office had it not been for Jeno’s intervention. What was Jeno paying attention in class for anyway if he didn’t want to get into university?

         Jeno kicked the back of his chair a third time. This time Jaemin was sure the teacher wasn’t talking to him because he’d started paying attention after that close call. He turned to look at Jeno only to find him smiling widely enough that his eyes squinted prettily. Jaemin thought his heart just might explode if he kept looking so he shook his head at his best friend and turned back in his seat. But he couldn’t resist the small smile that tugged at the edges of his mouth.

 

         After school, Jeno ran off to make it in time for his shift at the café. Jaemin and Renjun decided to start planning the movie night/sleepover they’d been talking about having all semester, but never found the perfect opportunity when everyone was free at the same time. Until now. They were in Renjun’s bedroom. Renjun was lying facedown in the middle of his bed, his voice was barely audible against the mattress. He couldn’t seem to muster enough strength to turn his head away from the mattress and speak properly, a side effect of exhaustion or hunger or both.

         “Who should we invite other than the people who are already coming?” Renjun mumbled, said people being Haechan, Mark, Jisung, and Chenle.

         “No one. We already have too many mouths to feed.” Jaemin said, he was sitting cross-legged with his back against the bedframe. He occasionally kicked Renjun in the ribs to make sure he stayed awake.

         “You mean I have too many mouths to feed.” Renjun corrected him, finally switching his position and lying on his side so that he could look at Jaemin. “Doesn’t Chenle have a girlfriend? Maybe he wants to invite her?”

         “But that would make Jisung sad.” Jaemin pouted. Renjun gave him a look before saying, “I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Jaemin texted Chenle Renjun’s idea but made a mental note to warn Jisung later.

         “I’m starving.” Jaemin whined.

         “Come on,” Renjun said. “Let’s go make something.” But his eyes remained closed and he didn’t move from his spot. Jaemin pulled his leg back to kick him again, but Renjun closed his hand around his ankle before he could, “I’m getting up.” He said and opened his eyes.

 

         Renjun got quiet again when they were washing the dishes after they’d finished eating. Well, Renjun did most of the washing while Jaemin dried. Jaemin wasn’t stupid enough to make the same mistake twice, so he tried to enjoy the silence while his stomach twisted itself into a knot instead of asking Renjun what was on his mind. He knew the answer now anyway.

         Renjun took a breath, “I would say that I don’t want to get involved, but it’s too late for that, hell, we’re all involved, even Mark. And I’m not just going to stand by while you two keep skirting around the subject. You were there that night Jaemin. You agreed.”

         “I never agreed to anything.” Jaemin said quietly.

         “You could have said something when Haechan asked Jeno if he could kiss him in front of Mark.”

         “I had no right. I still don’t, we’re not together.” Jaemin said. He knew it would be pointless to act like he didn’t know what Renjun was talking about. But maybe he could convince him that what happened wasn’t his fault. And maybe if he convinced Renjun, he could convince himself.

         “Jeno looked at you for permission, I _saw_ him.”

         “He shouldn’t need my permission,” Jaemin said. “He wanted to do it for Haechan and he did. I probably would have done it, too, if Haechan had asked me.”

         “Exactly. You would have done it, too, because it’s not a big deal. Neither one of you has feelings for Haechan so kissing him shouldn’t have caused a problem. But if you knew you would get jealous, why didn’t you say anything?”

         “I’m not jealous.” Jaemin lied.

         “Do you have any clue how transparent the two of you are when it comes to your feelings? I don’t even know why you’re pretending, we all know you and Jeno like each other, hell, we asked you to pretend to be in a fight with Jeno in front of Mark so that he would believe that he and Haechan had a thing going on!”

         “Jeno and I don’t like each other that way.” Jaemin lied again.

         Renjun didn’t dignify that with an answer. Instead he said, “Talk to Jeno.” Jaemin could hear the _Or else_ in that sentence. A shiver ran down his spine as he pictured what Renjun would do. His hand instinctively flew to his throat, which might fall prey to one of Renjun’s legendary chokeholds if he didn’t relent.

         “Fine. I’ll try to talk to him.”

         “His shift ends in about an hour, you can go to him now.” Renjun suggested. Jaemin hesitated then asked, “You’re not coming with?”

         The look Renjun gave him could freeze hell over. “It’s just so awkward without you!” Jaemin complained.

         “And whose fault is that?” Renjun said. He was right. He was always right. Jaemin, like the mature person he was, pouted, crossed his arms, and stomped his foot.

         “If it makes you feel any better, I’m 99.9% sure he likes you.” Renjun said.

         “What if the reality is that 00.1% and he actually just pretends that he likes me because I cook for him sometimes?”

         “Get out of my house.” Renjun’s hand fisted in the front of Jaemin’s shirt.

         “But we’re not done planning!” Jaemin said as he got dragged to the door by the front of his t-shirt.

         “There is nothing left to plan. We decided that we’re going to order pizza. We know we can’t agree on a movie to watch so I’m going to choose something. Just go talk to Jeno so that it’s not awkward as fuck Friday night.” Renjun all but pushed him out of his house and slammed the door shut in his face. Jaemin stood there for a few minutes, staring angrily at the wooden carvings on the door. When he looked down, he found that his shirt was crumpled from Renjun’s fist. _He couldn’t possibly go to the café looking like this_ , he thought.

         So Jaemin went home.

 

         It was around 8 PM when Renjun texted him. He asked him how ‘the talk’ went. Jaemin was binging a show in bed when he received the text. He’d turned the lights off and shut the blinds so that the only sources of light in the room came from a scented candle he’d lit on his bedside table, his laptop screen, and his phone. He paused the show and stared at his phone while he thought of an excuse. When he spent five minutes thinking and still came up empty, he slid lower down the bed, hiding himself under the covers. His bed started to vibrate. He pushed the stifling comforter away from his face to check his phone, His heart rate immediately picked up speed; Jeno was calling him.

         He answered on the fifth ring, “Hello?” His voice sounded hoarse from disuse and he coughed. “Hello.” He repeated.

         “Jaemin?” Jeno’s voice asked on the other end of the line. Jaemin rolled his eyes in the darkness.

         “No, it’s the Loch Ness Monster.” Jaemin said.

         “Why the Loch Ness Monster?” Jeno asked.

         “I don’t know it’s the first thing that came to mind. Anyway you called me so I assume you wanted something?” Jaemin sounded harsher than he’d meant to. He regretted it, but he was so angry and bitter that he couldn’t stop himself from lashing out.

         Jeno’s answer didn’t come immediately, “Uh,” He said then took another pause. “It’s just that Renjun just asked me if you’d come by the café today and I told him that you hadn’t… I was just wondering if we made plans that I forgot about?”

         “We didn’t,” Jaemin answered quickly. “I don’t know why he thought I’d stop by the café today.”

         “Oh, well okay,” His words were clipped, which stung a little even though Jaemin knew he didn’t have a right to be hurt with the way he was treating Jeno. Another awkward, drawn out pause. Jaemin wanted the bed to open up so that he could fall through it and then he wanted the floor to open up so that he’d fall to the ground level then he wanted the Earth to also open up and swallow him whole. “I guess you’re busy. Sorry if I interrupted or something. Goodnight.” Jeno hung up before Jaemin could say anything.

It was going to be awkward as fuck Friday night.

 

         It was finally Friday. Jaemin had so far successfully avoided any unnecessary alone time with Jeno. Jeno also seemed to get the hint and stopped dropping by Jaemin’s place unexpectedly like he used to. Jaemin had to admit that although he used to pretend to be annoyed at Jeno’s random visits during which he clung to Jaemin begging to be fed, he actually missed them. Sometimes he would run to the door when he heard the doorbell only to be disappointed when he found it wasn’t Jeno outside, momentarily forgetting that he _didn’t_ want to see the other boy. After that phone call, Jeno also hadn’t called or texted Jaemin again outside of their GC, and even then, they almost never spoke to each other directly. Renjun still seemed pissed at Jaemin, but he didn’t bring up the subject again. Jaemin promised himself to get over his pettiness before the school year ended and that was that. Renjun’s house was only a few blocks away. Jaemin wanted to walk over, but he thought it would be better if he waited for the others to get there first to avoid being questioned by or fumed at by Renjun again. He kept an eye on his phone while he half-heartedly worked on a short essay for history class. Haechan sent a text to the GC saying that he and Mark were at the convenience store. He asked Renjun if he needed anything for tonight and Renjun said his fridge was lacking in the soda department. Chenle and Jisung, shameless as they are, took that as invitation to send a list of snacks they wanted. Jaemin was smiling fondly at the texts when his phone started ringing. It was Jeno.

         Jaemin picked up immediately, his guilt-riddled heart thundering dangerously, “Hey.”

         “Hello,” Jeno spoke casually, like they hadn’t been avoiding each other for almost a week. “I’m about to get off work and my boss offered me free donuts and drinks because I agreed to cover for Johnny even though it was very last minute so… I thought it would be nice for tonight, but uh…” He said everything quickly and he stopped to catch his breath before continuing, “I was wondering if you could stop by the café to help me. I don’t think I can carry everything on my own.”

         “Oh.” Was all Jaemin said in return.

         “Oh?” Jeno asked.

         “I mean, yeah, yeah it would be really nice to have donuts. I love donuts. And coffee, too, I’m really sleepy.” _Idiot._

         “Okay?” Jeno said. “So can you?”

         “Can I what?”

         “Can you stop by the café and help carry the drinks?”

         “Oh,” Jaemin forced a laugh. “Sure, yeah sure, I’m on my way.”

         “Great, I’ll see you in a few.” 

         “Yeah.”

         Jaemin had been planning on going to Renjun’s house in his pajamas, but now he changed out of them and bunched them into a back bag along with a toothbrush.

 

         Jaemin walked into the café alone for the first time in over two weeks. He gratefully raised his head as the air-conditioning ruffled his hair, parting it. The cold air felt heavenly on his sweaty forehead and his light white t-shirt allowed the air to filter through the cotton and soothe his overheating body. He kept his eyes closed for a bit. He knew the moment he opened them he would start picturing it: the kiss. He had had the sense to make sure he wasn’t around when it happened. He knew he would have lost it if he’d actually had to endure watching one of his closest friends kiss the guy he’d been crushing on ever since he could remember, the guy he knew he was in love with.

         “You’re blocking the door, Jaem,” Jaemin blinked at Jeno, snapping out of his torturous reverie. “I’m not done making the drinks.” And with that Jeno walked back to the counter. Jaemin followed him, bending a little over the counter to watch Jeno who was hunched near the coffee machine, grabbing a couple of shots and dumping them into a ridiculously large plastic cup. “The guys really went all out with their orders when I told them that the drinks were free.” Jeno explained as he added an inch of caramel to the bottom of another large plastic cup. He had his phone open on the counter to check the details of each order as he worked. When four cups sat snuggly in a drink carrier, he read the names on them: _Jisung Pwaaaaaaark_ (the name was so drawn out that it circled all the way around the cup) _, Lele, Hyung_ (a heart was drawn next to this) _, Dongsookie_ and two more in another half-full carrier: _Moomin_ and _Jen_. Jeno focused on Jaemin, “So, what’s it going to be?”

         “I’ll have whatever Chenle’s having,” Jaemin said. “It looks like diabetes in a cup.”

         “Yum.” Jeno said in monotone, scrunching his nose in distaste. But he made Jaemin the sickeningly sweet drink and added it to the half-empty drink carrier carelessly scribbling _Na Na_ on it.

         “Since you’re here to help me, you also get the honor of choosing the donuts.” Jeno gestured for Jaemin to join him behind the counter, which he did. For some reason not having the counter to serve as a barrier between them made Jaemin’s stomach twist almost painfully. He forgot how to breathe when Jeno put a tentative hand between his shoulder blades and handed him a pink empty donut box. Jaemin’s eyes trailed from the box up to Jeno’s eyes. He swallowed and reminded himself to breathe and take the box. Their gazes locked for a few seconds, Jeno dropped the hand that was on Jaemin’s back but his other hand was still on the box between them, and Jaemin could’ve sworn he could see pain in Jeno’s eyes before the other boy looked away, “I’ll just uh,” Jeno said, his eyes looking somewhere behind Jaemin. “I’ll get changed while you…” He pointed in the general direction of the donuts to their right and went to the staff room at the back of the café. It took Jaemin a minute, but he shook his head as if to clear it and began stacking as many donuts as he could fit inside the box.

         The walk to Renjun’s house was awkward, but not unbearably so. The sun had set, which made the heat feel less like it was trying to suffocate them to death and more like it just wanted them to suffer a little. Jaemin was carrying the donut box and one of the drink carriers while Jeno had the other carrier and his workbag. When Renjun’s house was in sight, Jaemin quickened his steps as much as he could without spilling the drinks. He heard a dull thud behind him and he was yanked backwards by a hand pulling at his forearm, “Hey!” He yelled at Jeno. “I could’ve dropped the drinks!” They were in the middle of the stone pathway that cut through the grass of Renjun’s warmly lit front yard. The sound Jaemin had heard was Jeno’s bag hitting the ground.

         “Jaemin…” Jeno swallowed. It looked like he was struggling to keep his eyes on Jaemin’s. He looked so lost and it was Jaemin’s fault.

         “What is it?” Jaemin asked, his grip on the donut box threatening to crush it.

         Jeno’s lips became a harsh line; his eyes bore into Jaemin’s. Jaemin knew they needed to talk eventually. But he still felt jealous and angry and petty and he didn’t want to make it easy on Jeno. It’s not like this was easy for him either. “Did I do something to upset you?” Jeno asked, genuine concern in his eyes. And just like that, the anger Jaemin was feeling just a second ago transformed into guilt.

         “No.” Jaemin lied.

         “Is this,” Jeno said, extending an arm as though to point at a string that tied them together. “this… whatever this is between us. Is it because of college?”

         “What?” Jaemin had at least expected Jeno to have guessed what it was about the way Renjun had. Could he truly be this clueless? “No, it’s got nothing to do with college.”

         “Because I’ll go.”

Jaemin’s heart stopped beating, “What?”

         “I’ll go to college, if—if I get accepted. If it means that much to you, I’ll go. But I need you. I need _us_ to go back to the way we used to be.”

         Jaemin didn’t know what to say, and besides, even if he did, he wasn’t sure he would be able to say it with how his throat constricted at Jeno’s word. For some time they just looked at each other, Jaemin’s mouth hanging slightly open and Jeno waiting for an answer. “It’s not about college, Jen.”

         “Ah ha!” Jeno said, pointing at Jaemin’s chest. “So you’re finally admitting you’re mad at me.”

         “Can we talk about this another time?” Jaemin said flippantly. Jeno’s dramatics destroying any warmth he’d felt seconds ago. “Everyone’s waiting for us.”

         Jeno took his time, but he finally relented, “Fine,” he said, picking up his bag. “But we are talking about it.” He said, smiling at Jaemin tentatively.

         “Fine.” Jaemin adjusted his grip on the coffee carrier and together they walked into Renjun’s house.

        

         Renjun’s parents were back at China for the weekend, which explained why the living room was a mess. However, it was a cozy sort of mess. Most of the lights were turned off and the only sources of light came from the two lamps on either side of the sofa. The soft lighting brought out the warmth of the wallpaper and the plush rug that covered most of the living room’s wooden floor. Renjun and Haechan were on the sofa, Renjun jammed his foot repeatedly into Haechan’s side for a reason they had seemingly missed. Chenle, who was on the floor by the bean bag chair, which was occupied by Jisung, pointed at Renjun and Haechan with one hand and clutched his stomach with the other while he laughed hysterically. Jisung was watching Chenle with a wistful smile, Jaemin was sure he was the only one who noticed. A mountain of snacks had been emptied onto the center table.

         “Where’s Mark?” Jeno asked as he moved quickly to stop Renjun from accidentally breaking one of Haechan’s ribs, only pausing to carefully place the drinks next to the snack mountain. Haechan quickly grabbed Jeno’s waist and used him as a shield, which he pushed towards Renjun. Renjun attacked, throwing his arm around Jeno’s neck and tackling him to the ground. Chenle’s dolphin laugh ceased as he howled in pain because they had landed on his legs.

         “Where’s Mark?” Jaemin repeated Jeno’s question. Jisung was the only one who seemed to hear him, “He’s putting the sodas in the fridge.”

         “Oh,” Jaemin said, putting the box of donuts and coffee carrier alongside the snack mountain as well. “I’ll go help him.” Before he went, he gave Jisung a meaningful stare and mouthed, “No Alice?” after he made sure Chenle wasn’t looking. Jisung shrugged and looked away.

Jaemin walked into the hall that leads to the kitchen only to find Mark already making his way to the living room. He greeted him and they went back into the living room. Mark jumped over the back of the couch and took his place next to Haechan, who handed him his coffee. Mark thanked him by kissing his cheek quickly and they both blushed.

         “GROSS!” Jisung yelled, throwing a candy bar in their general direction. Nobody bought it; they all remembered how hard he had worked to get the two together to fall for that. Renjun and Jeno were next to the couple, Jeno leaning into Renjun to get away from them. The couch barely fit the four of them so Jaemin decided to sit on the floor opposite Chenle and Jisung, he promptly stole a couch cushion from behind Renjun’s back before he settled on the carpet, “So what are we watching?” Jaemin asked Renjun before he could complain about the theft.

         “I have a few options prepared, but I was thinking Deadpool 2?” Renjun said.

         Chenle gasped and Jisung yelled in a chiding tone, “There are _children_ present!” then he looked at his brother who had just begun to open his mouth, probably to protest the same thing and said, “Oh, I’m sorry did you want to do the honors?” and Chenle cackled at Haechan’s peeved expression.

         “You’ve already seen it, haven’t you?” Haechan concluded.

         “Of course.” Jisung and Chenle chorused. All Haechan could do was shake his head.

         “Alright then, I guess we’re watching my favorite movie.” Renjun announced, getting up to connect his laptop to the TV.

         “No!” Jeno yelled dramatically. Chills ran down Jaemin’s arms in silent horror. All of Renjun’s favorite movies had Nicholas Cage as the lead.

         “Please don’t do this!” Mark begged while Haechan, Jisung, and Chenle looked happy with how things developed.

         Renjun ignored them all and played the movie. A few minutes into the film Jeno got up. Jaemin’s gaze followed him until he disappeared down the hall. Less than a minute later, he reappeared with a soda in hand. Instead of taking his seat on the couch, he plopped down next to Jaemin without looking at him. Jaemin, on the other hand, was staring. The cushion Jaemin had stolen was lying uselessly in his lap, and while he stared at Jeno’s profile, the other boy nicked it and hugged it to his chest. Jaemin’s mouth parted in shock. But Jeno pretended to be entranced by the movie; the only thing that gave him away was the slight twitch to his lips as he hugged the cushion. Jaemin elbowed him with a little more force than was necessary. Jeno’s smile only widened, causing Jaemin to roll his eyes.

         The movie was bad. At one point, Nick Cage said a line that sent them all roaring with laughter. Well, all of them except for Jaemin, who had been staring back and forth between Jeno’s lips and Haechan’s. Jeno turned towards him, laughing until he caught the look on Jaemin’s face. Then his expression sobered and he sighed before standing up. Jaemin leaned on his palms to look up at Jeno who stood over him and stared him down. “Come on.” He mouthed at Jaemin. Jaemin pretended not to understand. Jeno mouthed “Bullshit.” And Jaemin rolled his eyes and pushed at Jeno’s legs, which blocked the screen. Jeno sat back down, grabbing the donut box and stuffing his mouth angrily. As soon as he opened it, everyone else suddenly remembered that they wanted donuts and attacked the box.

         Jaemin jumped a little towards the end of the movie when he felt a hand sneak between his side and his forearm. Before he knew what was happening, Jeno was snuggled up against his side. Jeno’s hair tickled his neck and he shivered involuntarily while Jeno’s fingertips slid down his palm and curled around the spaces between Jaemin’s fingers. He forced his body to relax and closed his hand around Jeno’s. He could feel the tension leave the other boy’s body as well. He could also feel Renjun’s gaze hot on him, but he didn’t acknowledge it. He just prayed Jeno couldn’t feel how hard his heart was beating.

         When the movie ended they all teamed up against Renjun, throwing whatever they could lift at him until he admitted that the movie was horrible. “It’s still one of the best films ever made.” He insisted right afterwards. They ordered pizza, which they gulped down like savages. After dinner, Jisung and Chenle went back to Jisung’s house. Chenle was sleeping over there since they had to work on a project over the weekend anyway. When they left, Renjun asked Jaemin to grab sleeping bags from the guest room while the rest tidied up the living room a little. Jaemin was climbing the closet shelves to get to the neatly folded sleeping bags when he heard the key turn in the lock. He jumped down to find Jeno standing with his back against the locked door, a determined look in his eyes. Jaemin felt his heart squeeze a little painfully. Jeno walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. He then gestured for Jaemin to do the same. Jaemin relented. He was too tired to keep avoiding Jeno.

        

<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>> 

“You’re going to tell me why you’re mad at me. You’re going to have to tell me sooner or later anyway. I know it isn’t about college now. It’s about you and me, so just tell me what I did wrong. I don’t care if we stay here all week, but we’re not leaving this room until you do.”

         “We’ll starve to death.” Jaemin tried. Jeno didn’t find the humor in it. He tried to look at Jaemin patiently, hoping to veil his anger and exasperation. Jaemin’s hand flew up to ease some of the tension in Jeno’s forehead. Jeno he leaned into the touch. Jaemin’s thumb smoothed over his eyebrows gently before trailing down his cheek slowly until it reached its target. Jeno’s lips were parted as Jaemin traced their shape again and again, pressing a little harder each time. It was like Jeno was in a trance that he only broke out of when Jaemin’s finger pressed his lower lip a bit too hard against his teeth, what began as a gentle touch turned into something else. Jaemin was rubbing his lips raw, like he was aggressively wiping something off of them. “Ow!” Jeno complained, moving a bit away from Jaemin. His own hand covering his stinging lips with a betrayed look in his eyes.

         “Sorry.” Jaemin said. It sounded less than genuine to Jeno’s ears.

         “What the hell was that about?” He demanded.

         “You—” Jaemin started, but the words seemed to fail him. “You… I let you…You let him…”

         Realization dawned on Jeno. His eyes narrowed and he said, “Oh. Oh, I see.” He jumped up and unlocked the door, all but running into the living room.

         “We’re playing truth or dare!” He announced.

         “Jeno, what—” Jaemin said from behind him.

         “Sounds good!” Renjun said, cutting Jaemin off. Mark shrugged and Haechan’s eyes glittered in understanding. They had already cleared the area in front of the television. The center table pushed to the corner of the living room so that they could all rest on the soft carpet. Jeno realized that Jaemin wasn’t following him so he turned back, grabbed him by the arm and pulled him along. Before anyone could sit Jeno said, “Mark, I dare you to kiss me.” Mark’s eyes widened. Jeno heard Jaemin scoff. When he turned towards the sound, he saw the other boy’s mouth twist in distaste as he squared his arms while he waited for Mark’s reaction. Jeno could clearly see the color climbing up Jaemin’s ears and neck.

         A nervous “Um…” Was the only answer Mark gave. Haechan’s eyes were thoughtful. They met Renjun’s briefly before he nudged Mark a little forward in Jeno’s direction. “Is this how the game is supposed to work?” Mark asked with a strained laugh. The back of Jeno’s neck burned as he felt Jaemin’s gaze on him while Mark approached him slowly. Mark looked back at Haechan, who nodded at him encouragingly. “Okay… Here goes.” Mark said, twisting his face and closing his eyes, letting out a couple of high-pitched screams before he gave Jeno a quick peck on the lips then pulled away to yell. Haechan was the first to bark out a laugh, Renjun and Mark joining soon after.

         Jeno wasn’t done yet, “Okay Renjun, now you.”

         “What the fuck is it you’re trying to prove?” Jaemin whispered. Jeno ignored him. Renjun looked unsure, but he walked slowly towards Jeno. His eyes, however, were on Jaemin.

         “Okay, I’m sure this isn’t how this game goes.” Jeno heard Mark say and Haechan started whispering something to him, probably an explanation of the situation at hand. But it barely registered because Jaemin was in Jeno’s face in an instant. He looked furious. _Good._

         “What’s the problem?” Jeno asked, his blood rushing loudly in his ears.

         “Guys…” Renjun said in a warning tone.

         “ _Problem_?” Jaemin laughed in his face. “There’s no problem, not at all. Go ahead and kiss every one of our friends. Hell, have an orgy for all I care. Just don’t expect me to stand here and watch.” Jaemin was storming out of the house before Jeno could blink.

         Jeno went after him, running into the overwhelming heat. He caught up to Jaemin and grabbed his arm to turn him around. What he didn’t expect were the tears that shone in Jaemin’s long lashes. His stomach dropped.

         “Just leave me alone!” Jaemin yelled, shoving Jeno’s chest with both his arms. Jeno stumbled backwards, only regaining his balance when he was a second away from hitting the ground.

         “Talk to me,” Jeno yelled. He was sure they were waking the entire neighborhood, but he didn’t particularly care about the quality of Renjun’s neighbor’s sleep at the moment. “What you’re doing isn’t fair!”

         “And you kissing Mark is?” Jaemin demanded, rounding up on Jeno. “You kissing Haechan was? Almost kissing Renjun?” His face was scrunched in a way that reminded Jeno of that time he’d called Jaemin pretty in primary school. He almost did it again.

         “You were there,” Jeno said quietly. “You could have said something.”

         Jaemin took a deep breath, running a shaking hand though his hair, “You kissed him. You let him kiss you. And he didn’t even _want_ to.” Jaemin whispered.

         “It wasn’t real, Jaemin.”

         “But it happened.”

         “I know,” Jeno said. “I’m sorry. I really thought you were okay with it.”

         Jaemin sighed, “Did you know that everyone except for Renjun thought we were together?” When Jeno didn’t say anything Jaemin said, “I guess… I guess I just thought I’d be the first to kiss you.”

         “Who says I’ve never kissed anyone before?”

         Jaemin did not look impressed, “Have you?”

         “Nah.” This earned him an eye roll. This would have to be the hundredth of the day, if Jeno’s calculations were accurate. Jaemin’s eyes lingered on something behind Jeno, “Let’s go back.” He said.

<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>> 

         Jaemin had to admit he was a little embarrassed. He realized that he might have slightly overreacted in freezing out Jeno for over two weeks. When they walked into the living room, they found their three friends lying down on the floor dejectedly. Mark shrunk into Haechan’s form when he saw them. Jaemin would have to talk to him later to clarify that there were no hard feelings. Renjun was the first to speak up, “Have you sorted your crap out?”

         Jaemin looked at Jeno before saying, “Kind of?”

         “Into the guest room. Now. And you don’t come out until you’re on perfect terms again.”

         “Yes, Sir.” Jeno said.

        

         Jaemin threw himself on the bed as soon as he came into the room, “I’m tired, let’s talk more tomorrow.” He curled onto his side. Jeno had other plans. He lay down next to Jaemin and shook one of his shoulders, calling his name over and over again until Jaemin opened his eyes.

         “Fine, I guess we’ll talk now.” Jaemin pouted as he sat up on the bed. Jeno followed suit.

         “You’re still pissed.” Jeno observed.

         “I’m just—”

         “Jealous?” Jeno cut him off.

         Jaemin put his head in his hands, “Well, yeah,” He admitted and Jeno’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Like I said, I thought I’d be the first.”       

         “I thought--” Jeno stopped, taking a deep breath and turning slightly away from Jaemin.

         “What?” Jaemin nudged him with his shoulder.

         “You really want to know?”

         “I asked, didn’t I?”

         “I thought,” He said. “that our friendship wouldn’t be destroyed by one stupid kiss. A kiss that meant nothing to me,” His voice sounded raw. Unsurprisingly, a fresh pang of guilt hit Jaemin square in the chest. Jeno continued, “I thought we were stronger than that… I thought…” Jaemin put a hand on his arm in silent support and perhaps an apology. “Well, I thought maybe you loved me.” Jaemin’s heart was somewhere in his throat by the time Jeno finished speaking.

         Jeno’s cheeks were dusted pink and he seemed to be holding his breath. He still wouldn’t look at Jaemin. So Jaemin said the only thing he could think to say, “You’re really pretty, Jeno.”

         It had the desired effect, more or less, as Jeno blinked in confusion and faced Jaemin. “What?” He asked.

         “I’m sorry-- for the way I acted… I should have just talked to you. I do, Jeno. Love you… you know.” For a minute, Jeno just looked at him, causing his breathing to turn dangerously erratic.

         “I knew there had to be a reason you were doing my homework when none of my other friends were.” Jaemin pushed a smiling Jeno, whose back bounced against the bed. He got up, fully planning on leaving Jeno behind and rejoining the others. Jeno was right behind him, though. He grabbed his hand and smiled apologetically, “Wait, Jaemin. I love you, too.” Jeno squeezed his hand. Jaemin lifted his other hand up to Jeno’s face.

         “Owwww, when will you stop doing that!” Jeno said, covering his lips with both hands to keep Jaemin’s hand away from his lips.

         “Soon.” Jaemin said as he pulled Jeno’s hands away. Jeno almost protested again. But he seemed to realize that Jaemin’s hands remained at his sides this time as he closed the distance between them. Jaemin’s eyes slid from Jeno’s eyes down to his nose until they reached his lips. Jeno was following the trail and his eyes fluttered shut. Jaemin’s attention was caught by the other boy’s eyelashes and he aimed the first gentle press of his lips there, then he moved to the other eye. He felt Jeno’s quickening breath against his neck. Jeno wasn’t moving, Jaemin’s hands were still curled loosely around both his wrists. He let go of Jeno’s wrists in favor of cupping his face. He kissed his cheekbone then his jaw, then moved to the left side. Jeno let out a strangled whine and grabbed Jaemin’s face, stilling it before him. Jaemin smiled triumphantly. Jeno leaned in first, their lips touched and Jaemin gasped, his hand moved to grab the back of Jeno’s head. He kissed him until the other boy was breathless.

         “Better?” Jeno whispered when they pulled apart.

         Jaemin shook his head and leaned in again. He just wanted to be thorough. Jeno laughed into the kiss at first, but sobered up as it progressed. Jaemin wasn’t sure who moved towards the bed first, but he was balanced on his forearms, his fingers sinking into Jeno’s soft hair as he explored his mouth. Jeno’s hands were on him and he couldn’t remember what it was like to breathe, think, or feel anything other than Jeno.

         They didn’t stop when they heard the door open; both too intoxicated in each other to react properly. But when Renjun exclaimed, “I knew this would happen!” Jaemin was so startled he fell off the bed in his haste to get off of Jeno, who apparently still hadn’t heard anything, which made Jaemin’s escape all the more awkward. Jaemin was mortified, so he thought it would be best if he just remained in the dark space between the bed and the wall.

         “Come out of there, Jaemin.” Haechan called in a teasing voice.

         Jaemin’s head popped up and he squeezed one eye open. Renjun looked like he was pretending to be angry, but was actually giddy. Haechan had a stupid knowing smirk on his face, which matched Jeno’s (the only difference being that Jeno was panting and his lips were a little swollen from Jaemin’s enthusiasm). Mark looked confused as hell as he whispered too loudly in Haechan’s ear, “So they _weren’t_ together until now?”

         Jaemin and Jeno each grabbed a sleeping bag, a few blankets and some pillows before moving to the living room with everyone else.

         “Tell me why we all sleep here when we can sleep on actual beds?” Jaemin asked.   

         “Because it’s a crap sleepover otherwise.” Renjun answered.      

         “Jaemin, why can’t you understand that it’s not fun unless you’re uncomfortable?” Jeno said, earning himself an eye roll from Jaemin and a punch on the arm from Renjun.

         “Shut the fuck up I’m trying to sleep.” Haechan said.

         “Seriously,” Mark added quietly. “And I thought my relationship with Donghyuck was dramatic.” Haechan, Renjun, Jaemin, and Jeno all protested. The statement too false and simply too shocking for them to let it slide.

        

         The next morning, Mark and Haechan left before having breakfast. They said something about Mark having to prepare for a job interview and Haechan helping him. No one could convince Jaemin that there was any truth to their excuse. Especially not after he saw the mess the three of them were left with. After they’d finished cleaning and tidying up the place, they threw themselves gracelessly on the couch. There was dishwater soap in Jeno’s hair from an unfortunate accident that occurred about five minutes ago. The worst part was that Jeno was nowhere near the sink when it happened. Renjun was wearing an apron for no apparent reason. Jaemin asked, “Why are you wearing that?”

         “To make breakfast.” Renjun answered, defeated. Not moving from his spot. Jaemin and Jeno started a pillow fight whose purpose was to prompt Renjun to go make breakfast because they were starving and too lazy to do it themselves.

         They ended up losing. Jaemin was frying pancakes while Jeno looked for maple syrup. Renjun only took pity on them after Jeno had opened every cabinet in the kitchen to no avail. Renjun started frying eggs while Jaemin finished up the pancakes.

         When they settled on the table, stuffing their mouths and laughing at Jeno who had ended up with pancake mix in his hair even though the only thing he had done that could remotely count as cooking was to pour maple syrup over the pancakes on his plate.

         “Would it really be so bad?” Jaemin asked out of nowhere. “Going to college, living together… Would it be so bad?” They both looked at Jeno, waiting for him to shoot them down like he’d done so many times.

         Jeno smiled around a mouthful of pancakes, “No,” He said. “It wouldn’t be bad at all.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading! Let me know what you think in the comments!!! ^__^  
> Also, leave kudos if you liked it uwu <3!!  
> ————————————  
> Please remember to be kind to everyone, and never forget that that includes yourself <3  
> ————————————
> 
> My [twt](https://twitter.com/Spaceship0Mile)  
> And my [cc](https://curiouscat.me/Spaceship0Mile)


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